


december 18th: mama's boy

by watergator



Series: december fic advent 2020 [18]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2014 Era (Phandom), Christmas, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28152351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watergator/pseuds/watergator
Summary: prompt: when phil said kath had put up that shout poster in his bedroom when he came home for christmas :3no matter how old phil gets, he's still babied by his mum
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: december fic advent 2020 [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035978
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	december 18th: mama's boy

“I’m not joking, Dan, it’s  _ horrifying _ .”

There’s a cackle of laughter that comes through the phone speaker and Phil just lets out a heavy sigh as he flops down on the bed, creaking under his weight as he rolls over, as if to avoid eye contact with the face peering down at him from the opposite wall.

“I’ve seen the photo,” Dan then reminds him, a smile sounding in his voice. “It’s very…” he muses over his words for a moment when Phil scoffs loudly, sitting up to stretch out his legs.

“Not me?” He tries. “Ugly? Demon-ish?”

Dan snorts a laugh, and Phil feels a tiny tug at his chest where his heart is.

“Yes, it’s very not you  _ and  _ you do have a slightly satanic look in your eyes, but I wouldn’t say ugly. And you’re always looking just a touch possessed,” he says firmly and Phil hums, not entirely convinced.

“Still,” he says, eyes flickering upwards to look at the poster that’s been taped to the wall, his own face staring at him. “I dunno why my mum feels the need to put my own face in my room. It’s just weird, y’know?”

Dan laughs again. “You’re going full northern again,” he mocks, putting on his own accent and Phil finds himself smiling even if his boyfriend is taking the piss out of him.

“That’s what you get hanging around these lot,” Phil reminds him, only now realising how thicker his accent had started to get. “You should come next time, see if it has the same affect on you.”

There’s silence on the other line, and then a small hum.

“Maybe,” Dan says quietly, and Phil wishes more than ever that he could see his face to gage his reaction. “But I have to remind you, I’m not actually northern, you know?”

Phil laughs airly. “You might as well be. Northerners don’t often accept you southerners into our clan like the Lesters have.”

Dan gives a small laugh, and Phil can easily picture his smile. “So I must be a special case then?” He teases, and Phil flops back down on the bed.

“Absolutely. All you need to do now is start eating chips and gravy and battered Mars bars for tea, and you’ll fit right in.”

Dan snorts, loudly, and Phil can’t help the tug of his lips as he smiles wide.

“Not a bloody chance in hell, mate,” he scoffs.

“Now you’re sounding Northern.”

*

Phil likes the Isle. It’s cold and wintery and feels like a proper Christmas when he comes over here. London is great and he enjoys it, but there’s just something about the cliff side and the ocean that has his little valley boy heart aching for the need to be here every time Christmas rolls around.

He’s currently walking up and down the bakery aisle of the shop his mum had dragged him into, and like a child, he’d needed a bribe, and so now he was trying to find the most delicious looking biscuit he could eat on the way home, when he hears his mother’s voice, causing him to look up.

There’s another woman standing there now, looking the same age as Kath, with a little knitted hat pulled down over her head, and a scarf tucked up under her chin, looking the absolute picture of  _ cosy _ , when both women look at Phil, who’s just standing there, dumbly.

“Phil, this is my friend, Angela, the one with the donkey,” she urges him, and whilst Phil has no clue who Angela or her donkey is, (though, it does sound interesting) he is polite as he smiles at her, and gives her a quick hello.

“Oh, Kathryn, he’s so handsome, ain’t he?” Angela speaks with a thick country accent, and instead of continuing his search for biscuits, Phil finds himself awkwardly standing there between the two woman as they fuss over him like he’s an actual child.

“My Phil, oh he’s doing so well with his little videos, aren’t you dear?” Kath beams at him, and Phil wishes he had a hat like Angela’s to hide under as his face burns bright red.

“Uh,” he starts, his voice cracks and he wishes that the floor would just give way and swallow him whole. He clears his throat, and looks desperately at his mum for help, but she does nothing.

“Uh. Yeah. It’s, it’s going good,” he stumbles over his words, shifting from one foot to the other to keep the nervous energy that’s pulsing inside him from just exploding out the top of his head. “Really good.”

Angela looks like she has no clue what he’s talking about, but Kath doesn’t seem to care. She grabs her arm excitedly, eyes going wide.

“Phil was in a magazine, Angela. Can you believe it? Double pages.”

Angela then also looks excited. “A magazine?!” She exclaims. “Oh, now that  _ is  _ exciting! Which one was it dear?”

Phil is still grinning, cheeks hurting, as he rocks on the balls of his feet.

“Shout Magazine?” He tries even though he knows that this poor old lady won’t have the faintest of ideas, and it’s apparently true when she just gives him a blank look.

“Ah,” she smiles. “Not sure I’ve heard of that one, but I’m assuming it’s what all the, uh, young kids read these days,” she says, looking back to Kath as they start laughing together. “I bet you’re  _ quite  _ the heartthrob with all the young ladies, eh?”

Phil just awkwardly laughs with them, wishing he never came in here for biscuits to begin with. Sod them. Sod the lot of them.

“Well, I best not be keeping you, Kathryn,” Angela then says, patting her on the arm, thank  _ god. _ “You won’t wanna be hanging around here if the paparazzi get news that you’re here,” she says, dead serious and Phil just nods in false agreement. He doesn’t think a single paparazzi has ever set foot on the island but still. He just keeps nodding for Angela’s sake. 

“Take care, both of you, I’ll ask my granddaughter for that magazine.  _ Yell _ ? Was it?”

Before Phil can lie, Kath is already correcting her with an air of pride in her voice.

“Shout, actually,” she says, raising her voice a little higher so that a few nearby shoppers look round at them. “He’s on page twenty six!”

Angela waves them off, and they’re left alone in the biscuit aisle.

Kath then picks up a packet of gingerbread men, waving it under his nose like nothing had happened when he lets out a long sigh.

“What?” Kath blinks at him. “Am I not allowed to brag to everyone about how amazing my boy is?” She asks, then she laughs. “Oh, get it?  _ Amazing _ .”

Phil shoots her a warning look. “It’s not that mum,” he says, shuffling up the shelf. There’s a box of chocolate covered donuts that are looking a bit squished, so he moves past them.

“You know how awkward I get,” he says quietly. “I just wish sometimes you’d remember that.”

Kath lightly swats his arm. “Philip,” she says dismissively. “It’s only Angela, she’s no harm.”

Phil looks down at where there’s a crushed cookie in one of the baskets. He prods his finger into it before brushing away the crumbs.

“Yeah but, people don’t always get what I do,” he reminds her. “I don’t need people judging me in real life when people do it enough online.”

Kath stops at that, pulling herself up from where she’d been carefully inspecting a bag of mint cookies, to look right at him with a concerned frown.

“Who’s been saying that, Phil?” She asks, but it’s more like a demand. Phil just shifts on his feet.

“Mum…” he starts but Kath shakes her haid, her neat bob swooshes around her face. 

“Phil,” she says sharply. “If people are being cruel to you then–”

“I’m not at school, mum,” he reminds her softly, and her shoulders relax a little.

“It’s fine. Honestly. I would tell you if it was getting bad,” he tells her quietly, and there’s a sad look in his mum's eyes that wish they never started this conversation.

“Bad like last time?” She asks softly.

Phil wishes Dan was here. But not in this bakery aisle in this shop. But at his parents home, in front of the fire. With his family.

“It’s not,” he says truthfully. “It’s getting better, I think.”

Kath smiles at that. A real smile that has Phil feeling a little less uneasy. 

“That’s good to hear,” she nods. “A mother can’t help but worry when her baby is so far away.”

Phil grumbles. “I’m not a baby, you know?”

Kath grins at him, “You’re always my baby, no matter how big and tall and famous you get.”

Phil almost cringes at the  _ F  _ word, and his mother clearly picks up on it too.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, Phil,” she says gently. “I know it can be hard sometimes, and I guess I just got carried away.”

Phil nods. He knows she never means no harm, nor would she ever. She’s his mum, and no matter what she does, he can’t stay mad at her forever.

“It’s okay,” he tells her, bumping his elbow with hers. “You can just buy me these cakes and we’ll call it even,” he says, plucking the box off the shelf with a grin.

She laughs as he takes them from his hold and plops them into her basket. 

“Deal,” she nods.

They’re walking back towards the cashier when Phil then suddenly remembers.

“Oh!” He exclaims, Kath turning to look back at him. “Does that mean I can finally take down the poster of me in my room?” He asks, hopeful.

But Kath laughs, shakes her head and looks at him with a devilish grin.

“No chance, son,” he says with a shrug. “I‘ll stick to my end of the plan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t embarrass you in the privacy of my own home.”

Phil groans as he sets the cakes down on the belt.

At least he’s gained one good thing from this today.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you keelin for the prompt!! <3
> 
> come say hi on tumblr !! @watergator


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